The present invention relates to a vehicle anti-rollover system, in particular to a gas anti-rollover system which discharges a flow of gas sideways where the vehicle is rolling over and which reduces the rollover force of the vehicle.
Rollover crashes are complex events that reflect the interaction of driver, road, vehicle, and environmental factors. Most rollover crashes occur when a vehicle runs off the road and is tripped by a ditch, curb, soft soil, or other object causing it to rollover. These crashes are usually caused by driver behavior such as speeding or inattention. These are called single vehicle crashes because the crash did not involve a collision with another vehicle.
From studies of real-world single-vehicle crashes, NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has determined that more than 90% of rollovers occur after a driver runs off of the road. This does not refer to vehicles trying to negotiate difficult trails away from public roads. It refers to vehicles rolling over off of the pavement after the driver has lost control of the vehicle. Once the vehicle slides off of the pavement, a ditch, soft soil, curb or other tripping mechanism usually initiates the rollover (Rollover Resistance Ratings Information, NHTSA, 2001).
Based on Static Stability Factor studies, NHTSA found that taller, narrower vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs), are more likely than lower, wider vehicles, such as passenger cars, to trip and roll over once they leave the roadway.
All types of vehicles roll over in certain conditions. While SUVs have the highest number of rollover crashes, because of the higher numbers of passenger cars on the road, almost half of all rollovers involved passenger cars (Rollover Resistance Ratings Information, NHTSA, 2001).
When a vehicle goes off rural roads it is likely to overturn when it strikes a ditch or embankment or is tripped by soft soil. Many other rollover crashes occur along freeways with grassy or dirt medians when a driver loses control at highway speeds and the vehicle slides sideways off the road and overturns when the tires dig into the dirt.
Approximately 214,700 passenger vehicles roll over annually in crashes that are severe enough to require towing (Research Note, NHTSA, 2001).
Rollovers have a higher fatality rate than other kinds of crashes. While rollovers do not occur as frequently as other types of crashes, when they do occur, the result is often serious injury or death. Rollovers accounted for more than 10,000 fatalities in the United States each year, more than side and rear crashes combined. They also resulted in thousands of serious injuries (Rollover Resistance Ratings Information, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2001).